


A Gift for Snufkin

by Keatulie



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Little My and Sniff are here also for a passage, M/M, minor spoilers for Comet in Moominland I guess haha, strong overtones of Snufmin but they're too silly to admit it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 05:44:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19125778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keatulie/pseuds/Keatulie
Summary: "He knew well enough by now that Snufkin wasn’t the type to carry about any knick-knackery, being such a keen traveller and finding objects an unnecessary weight in many ways. Even a small trinket that stayed housed in Moomintroll’s room wouldn’t do, what good was a present that the other person couldn’t appreciate?"Moomintroll has difficulty finding the perfect present for Snufkin.





	A Gift for Snufkin

"What do you get for a person who doesn’t like things?"

"It’s too early in the morning for riddle nonsense, Moomintroll", said Little My curtly, beating Sniff’s hand to the sugar pot and pouring a Moominpaw-sized-spoonful into her mug.

"It isn’t a riddle," replied Moomintroll, just as clipped. Though it might as well have been, he thought. "Snufkin’s birthday is a week from tomorrow and I haven’t any ideas of what to do.”

Truthfully, none of them really knew just when or where their little Mumrik friend had been born, but it had been decided that he deserved a chance to celebrate, too, and a date at the tail-end of Spring – their favourite season – was chosen.

Moomintroll absently stirred his bowl of porridge as he pondered. He knew well enough by now that Snufkin wasn’t the type to carry about any knick-knackery, being such a keen traveller and finding objects an unnecessary weight in many ways. Even a small trinket that stayed housed in Moomintroll’s room wouldn’t do, what good was a present that the other person couldn’t appreciate?  
No, a simple little keepsake wouldn’t be enough, anyway. A person as important as Snufkin deserved the grandest gesture he could think of – trouble was, he couldn’t think of anything.

He thought about asking for Mamma’s help in baking a delicious feast for him, made from all of his favourite fruits. He always hated hearing the parts of Snufkin’s Winter tales where his friend had gone without food, it made Moomintroll fuss over him so.  
But then, food was already to be expected on one’s birthday. It was no use preparing too much and having it go to waste, or risk making Snufkin ill out of politeness.

He could always weave a beautiful crown to hang around Snufkin’s dear hat. Moomintroll was sure that a favour or two for Mr. Hemulen would earn him a pick of his prized flower garden. It would be thoughtful, but temporary, just the thing for those who dislike possessions. Though, with this solution came many other smaller problems: which flowers, what colour, and how many?  
He supposed he could ask Snufkin for his favourite, a question like that wouldn’t give too much away. But Moomintroll knew that he would most likely reply with something as unhelpful as, ‘why, all of them, of course,’ and that just wouldn’t get him anywhere.

Besides, there were certain implications to consider. Snorkmaiden and her brother had recently taught him about flower symbolism, and goodness was it a complicated concept. He had no idea that flowers could have so many different meanings, and in different places, too - and Snufkin had travelled all over. What if he were to choose a bunch that meant ‘friendship’ to him, but something completely the opposite to Snufkin? (Or _stronger_ , he thought, feeling his face grow hot. Now simply wasn’t the time for that.)

Regardless of those other problems, it was still too small. He and Snufkin made crowns all the time for each other, he needed something else to show just how much he cared.

"What are you two doing?" he decided to ask, hoping that the others’ plans might trigger some inspiration in him.

"The Park Keeper has fenced off the cherry orchard just over from The Hemluen’s house," said Little My through a sizeable helping of bread.

"Did he!" said Moomintroll. "And I suppose that you two--?"

"--Are planning to destroy it, of course," she finished, proudly.

Now, the opportunity to destroy private property, that was surely something he would appreciate – but actions like these usually ended badly, and even though he knew his clever friend would slip out of trouble like always, he didn’t much like the sound of landing Snufkin behind bars on his special day.

Besides, this was Little My’s suggestion, and Moomintroll wanted something that was purely from his own heart.

Little My placed her drink on the table with a sharp clatter, shaking Moominroll from his daydreams. “I have an excellent idea, I think.”

"And what would that be?" he asked, sceptically.

"For one birthday, one of my sisters once received a very large box, and inside that box was another box, and inside _that_ box was another box, and inside _that_ box, there was nothing."

"That sounds awful!" exclaimed Moomintroll. "Why should I do that?"

"Well, he wants for nothing, doesn’t he?"

"It sounds like a very cruel trick," said Moomintroll.

"I would laugh," said Little My.

"Yes, but only as the giver, not the receiver."

"True."

"My turn," interjected Sniff. "You could buy a lovely hat to replace his old ragged one – something encrusted with shiny gemstones of all kinds, and brand new hiking boots made from the finest, richest leather, and--"

"Sniff, you’re just hoping that you can pilfer Snufkin’s unwanted presents and sell them, aren’t you," Little My cut across, and Sniff lowered his snout in defeat.

Moomintroll sighed into his porridge.

 

The next week was spent brainstorming ideas. Whenever they were out together, Moomintroll keenly observed Snufkin (even moreso than usual) in the hope that maybe, if he looked hard enough, his deepest desires might suddenly turn visible.  
But it was no use. Despite all of their conversations and bonding over the following days, nothing new had been learnt. Snufkin was as quiet as usual.

 _You know, it’s funny_ , Moomintroll thought to himself, suddenly recalling the day he’d met Snufkin, _he used to act so differently._  
The memory was clear and precious to him. A comet was due to strike their valley any day, and he and Sniff had encountered a genial little vagabond camping out near the Lonely Mountains on their way up to the Observatory.  
He’d been much more of an open-book during that time, ranting and raving about the stars and the oceans and his deep affection for them to anyone who would care to listen, and then once that was all over, he seemed to close himself off. Perhaps impending doom had that effect on people.

It was this memory of their first meeting that finally lit the spark of inspiration in Moomintroll’s head. Goodness, he thought, it should have been so obvious – Snufkin himself had practically given him the idea on that very same day.  
Moomintroll quickly excused himself from his friend’s company, who happily waved him on and continued his fishing, and raced over to his house to share his new plan with the others.  
Admittedly, it was a plan the he would have liked to have kept between them alone, but he also didn’t want to worry his family with a sudden disappearance.  
He didn’t have to say exactly why he was going, just that it was very important that everyone was to know _not_ to tell Snufkin of his whereabouts for the next day or so, or the whole gift might be spoilt.

It had taken some convincing to make the journey on his own, for as much as Moomintroll adored his friends and family, they were certainly nosy when it came to any talk of adventuring. It was especially hard to shake off Little My, who insisted on tagging along as the ‘wise older sister’, but relented when Moomintroll promised her access to the slingshot and stash of acorns he kept in his bedside table (this was certain to cause problems in the future, but worth it for a day’s peace.)

 

Moomintroll could hardly sleep with excitement that night. He woke before the sun and scrambled down the rope ladder from his window, not bothering to wake anyone with hurried goodbyes. With a packed lunch from Mamma under his arm and a goal in mind, Moomintroll set off for the place that would provide just the thing he needed for his perfect present - the Observatory.

The trip hadn’t taken quite so long this time around, and wasn’t nearly so treacherous in the right conditions. When he got there, the Professors were bemused by the little moomin’s sudden arrival, but became very interested once he’d shared his request with them, and in no time at all, the task was complete.

Moomintroll thanked them profusely for their help, again through the night as he rested up, and once more before descending the mountain the next morning.

Without the ever-present threat of a deadly comet coming down upon Moominvalley, visiting the Lonely Mountains made for a pleasant walk. He made a note to come here again with Snufkin.

 

By the time Moomintroll arrived home, it was already dark. He could tell from the sight of the unlit lantern by Snufkin’s tent that his friend was fast asleep, but the eagerness bubbling inside him wouldn’t let him leave.

Cautiously, he rapped on the side of the tarp - not so loud as to startle its occupant, but hopefully enough to wake him. Moomintroll saw the outline of a fluffy-headed figure stirring inside.

“Who might that be?” came the groggy response.

“It’s Moomintroll,” he whispered. There was a short pause. He grinned as the tent’s zipper slowly came down. As he clambered inside, he noticed a tiny tan paw lazily retreating into a heap of bedding.

“What are you doing here?” asked the lump of sheets. Moomintroll felt his chest flutter at the softened tone.

“I’ve brought you a present!”

A hint of a grumble returned. "Now? But it isn't my birthday until the morning."

He hated to disturb Snufkin at this hour, but was confident that the surprise would more than make up for it. "Yes, but I'm far too excited to wait until then, and now is exactly the perfect time.’ He caught sight of the moon’s position through a slip in the tarp. ‘Besides, it’s Midnight! I think you are allowed a little peek."

Moomintroll wondered if Snufkin might have ignored him and nodded off instead, but then came a resigned snuffle from under the ragged sheets of the bedroll.  
Both eager and nervous to share his wonderful plan, he all but dragged Snufkin out of the tent and guided him a short ways across the clearing, making care to pick just the right spot. They settled in a comfortable patch of moss, and Moomintroll gestured up towards the sky.

"Look there," said Moomintroll. "Do you see those two stars very far off together?"

Snufkin hummed sleepily and followed his paw.

"We-ll, today I went to the Observatory where you and I had learnt about the comet," he inched a little closer; Snufkin did, too. Moomintroll anxiously clutched at the moss. "And this time, I asked them if perhaps either of those stars had names. And you know what? They didn't!"

At that moment, with Snufkin’s tired but expectant gaze on him, and the knowledge that this gift would no doubt bring a great change to their relationship, Moomintroll could feel that he was starting to lose his nerve. But he’d gone to so much trouble and built up so much, that he knew it was now or never.

"So then I asked if, _just_ perhaps," Moomintroll took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the moss beneath his paw. Snufkin, sensing his unease, gently rested his own above it, encouraging him to go on. "If they could be named after us."

Snufkin turned, and for a moment, his expression remained unreadable. In that time, Moomintroll managed to agonise over what he’d just done. He looked away. What if he didn’t approve at all, what if it was too forward too soon - but all of those worries were washed away by the calming touch of Snufkin’s paw on his shoulder.

 _"Moomintroll_."

That was all that was needed to reassure him. A single word, but one with so much affection behind it. He needn’t have worried at all, because when Moomintroll finally dared to look back, Snufkin was beaming.

"I know you love the stars," he continued. "And also that you don’t like to keep things, only the memories. This way, you see, others can still enjoy the stars, but they belong to us." He’s babbling, he knows that, but Moomintroll can tell that Snufkin doesn’t really mind. He did like to listen, after all. "And even when you leave in the Winter, the stars will always be together. We can gaze at them and think of one another. In a way, we won’t really be apart," he finished, glancing back and forth between his two Snufkins.

"You’re a very clever moomin," said the real one, and Moomintroll thought his chest might burst.

He felt Snufkin relax into him and stifle a yawn, and asked – if a bit reluctantly, "Do you want to go back to your tent now, Snufkin?"

"I think I would like to stay here," he replied.

"Then we’ll stay," said Moomintroll.

Some time had passed after that; the cool breeze in the Spring night air was starting to chill them, but neither one wanted to leave. They moved closer together and watched their stars fade into Sunrise.


End file.
